Konjak (devils' tongue) is a food widely and habitually taken by ordinary consumers for a long time, and it is eaten as it is alone or is taken as combined with any other edible material and cooked. With the recent diet boom, konjak has become specifically noted as a low-calorie health food, and konjak-containing foods prepared by adding konjak to various foods have been developed.
Konjak is generally produced by adding alkali such as calcium hydroxide to a paste prepared by grinding konjak corms or prepared by swelling konjak flour with water, thereby gelling it at a pH of from 10.5 to 12. Produced according to the process, konjak has a peculiar alkali smell, and because of it, the number of persons who dislike konjak is not small. Even if persons try taking a large amount of konjak for diet or health maintenance, it may be often impossible as they may soon be surfeited with konjak owing to its alkali smell and simple taste.
Accordingly, various trials are made of mixing konjak with favorable edibles or dispersing it in favorable drinks thereby processing it into more readily eatable or drinkable products and providing them to consumers.
For example, an improved konjak paste is proposed, which is produced by finely cutting alkali-added konjak jelly so as to be readily mixed with any other edible or drinkable (Patent Reference 1). Another method is also proposed, comprising mixing a pure water-soluble konjak mannan, which is prepared by purifying the water-soluble konjak mannan contained in konjak flour, with any other edible or drinkable (Patent Reference 2). Still another method is proposed, comprising enzymatically treating the konjak mannan contained in konjak flour to give a liquid product (Patent Reference 3).
Patent Reference 1: JP-A 5-207854
Patent Reference 2: JP-B 54-20582
Patent Reference 3: JP-A 5-199856